Dow Discovers Process to Make Olefins from Methane

10:11 AM MDT | July 24, 2007 | Michelle Bryner

Researchers at Dow Chemical say they have developed a process to produce olefins from methane, which is considered an underutilized feedstock, via the intermediate methyl chloride. The discovery could lead to wide use of methane as a feedstock for hydrocarbons, including ethylene and propylene, the researchers say. The process, which is in the early stages of development, involves reacting methane with hydrogen chloride over a lanthanum-based catalyst, say the researchers who published their work in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society...